Nilfisk release 3.16

Plymouth, MN—Nilfisk-Advance, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of professional floor cleaning equipment, released a third set of independent test results related to Tennant’s ec-H2O cleaning performance (electrically-activated water used in today’s professional floor scrubbers). The third set of independent tests measured the cleaning performance of ec-H2O relative to plain tap water using Hucker’s soil, an industry-recognized soil containing no petroleum products and used to test the performance of surface cleaners. The Hucker’s soil testing showed no performance difference between a Tennant scrubber using ec-H2O and the same scrubber using only plain tap water.

“These current test results complete the scientific picture showing that ec-H2O performs no better and no different than plain tap water when used in a commercial floor scrubber,” said Michael Fenger, General Manager, Product Marketing, EMEA/APAC for Nilfisk-Advance. “Nothing in the comprehensive data, collected under controlled and repeatable testing conditions, supports Tennant’s continued claims that ec-H2O acts like a ‘powerful cleansing agent/detergent’.”

Nilfisk-Advance previously commissioned two separate independent tests to measure Tennant’s claims regarding ec-H2O’s performance. The first test used ASTM D4488 soil and showed that ec-H2O water performed no better than when the same scrubber cleaned with plain tap water. Those results also indicated that when cleaning with ec-H2O, the scrubber did not clean as effectively as when the scrubber cleaned with tap water and detergent. The second independent test measured the performance of ec-H2O relative to plain tap water to reduce ATP (adenosine triphosphate). That testing showed that a floor scrubber using ec-H2O reduced ATP to the same level as plain tap water.

“In light of the cumulative, independent industry testing by Nilfisk-Advance and others, we expect that Tennant will cease its unfounded claims that ec-H20 acts like a "powerful cleansing agent/detergent" when used in a commercial floor scrubber,” said Anders Terkildsen, Executive Vice President, EMEA Sales for Nilfisk-Advance. “These independent test results show that, while ec-H2O may clean floors, it cleans no differently than if the same scrubber used plain tap water. Given the compelling scientific data and the importance of scientifically-proven products, it is rather surprising that Tennant claims to have ‘set the record straight’ and yet has not stopped misstating the performance of ec-H2O.”

Nilfisk-Advance is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of professional cleaning equipment. The company has developed professional cleaning equipment for over 100 years. Nilfisk-Advance has production facilities in North America, South America, Europe, and China, and has an extensive network of sales entities in 43 countries and is represented in more than 100 countries around the world. The company currently has over 5,000 employees worldwide, with global sales of over $1 Billion USD in 2010. Nilfisk-Advance is a part of the NKT Group and listed at NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen.

Nilfisk-Advance’s EcoFlex™ System, introduced in 2009, is a new cleaning technology that achieves both environmentally sustainable cleaning methods as well as the highest standards of effective cleaning. With the touch of a button, EcoFlex™ allows the operator to effortlessly switch between chemical-free, water-only cleaning and varying degrees of detergent use, down pressure and flow rates. EcoFlex™ combines effective, efficient and sustainable methods to set the new standard in green cleaning. EcoFlex™ is currently available on ten Advance brand floor scrubber models and will continue to be available on additional models throughout 2011.